Ofcom pay-TV price rules: what they mean before your contract ends
A dated note on Ofcom rules for end-of-contract notifications and in-contract price changes on UK pay-TV and satellite contracts.
Update · Household bills · Published 1 January 2026
What changed
Ofcom requires pay-TV providers to send end-of-contract notifications and to set out any in-contract price rises in pounds and pence at the point of sale.
The contract end date is when the discount or bundle terms can change and when a household either renegotiates, switches or accepts the new monthly price.
What it means before the contract end date
Pay-TV bundles often include promotional pricing tied to the minimum term. When that minimum term ends, the monthly price can step up unless the bundle is renegotiated or changed.
Reviewing the actual channels and add-ons in use before the end date is what turns the renewal into a deliberate choice rather than a continuation by default.
What to do now
Check the minimum-term end date on the contract or end-of-contract notification.
Check whether the household still uses the channels and add-ons in the bundle.
Check any equipment return or downgrade options.
Sources
- Ofcom — End-of-contract and annual best tariff notifications. Broadband, mobile and pay-TV providers must notify customers when their fixed contract is about to end and what the price will be afterwards.
- Ofcom — Ban on inflation-linked mid-contract price rises. Ofcom rules require providers to set out any in-contract price rises in pounds and pence at the point of sale.